Get a session set up how you like it, tracks ready to go, input and output buses, group channels, folder tracks even favourite VST instruments and FX, this is a BIG timesaver.

Template From Existing Project

Save your project under a different name first (avoids ‘lost project embarrassment’). Delete all the Audio/MIDI stuff you don’t want in the template from the project window. Hit [CTL]+P to open pool and right [Option]click, select empty trash.
BEWARE, don’t choose erase unless you don’t need the files, choose the‘remove from pool’ option. Erase option will send your files to digital heaven. Then choose Save as Template option from the file menu.

Naming Tracks

In the Arrange window, click in the track name box to get a curser, type in the tracks name ie; ’Kick’, hit [TAB] (cursor jumps to next track name box) type in next one and repeat. Hit [Enter] to end.

Naming Tracks Inside Folders - by Xtigma

Rename all tracks inside a folder to the same name.
Type name in Folder Track, hold down [shift] + press [enter].
Rename all events on midi track to track's name - By Mozizo

Dbl click track name(fonts highligted with blue).
Press and hold one of the modifiers and press Enter.

Assigning Input Buses and Channel Outputs

In the Mix Console, select the required audio channels and as you assign the 1st channel (Drop down menu in Mix Console-Routing Tab) hold down [Shift] and each channel will be assigned incrementally.
Holding [Shift]+[ALT] will send all selected channels to the same Input bus or output.

Macros

To create a macro

File/Key Commands/Show Macros/New Macro-and name it.
Highlight the command from the commands window and hit 'Add Command' after each.
The new marco should now be visible in the macro folder in the commands window. Assign it to a Key of your choice.

New Track Macro - by Rhino

For creating a new track with all routing monitoring and FX settings from existing in one go.

Make sure the 'Use Mouse Wheel for Event volume and Fades' option is activated in Preferences. Editing/Audio page.
[ALT]+Click on an audio event to cut it around the area you want to change, then hover the mouse over it and mouse wheel up for louder (up to 24db) or down for softer. Will also work for multiple selections or entire Audio events. Won't work for an Audio Part unless you dissolve part first [CTL]+ right[option] click to open context menu and choose Audio/Dissolve Part.
[CTL]+M/Wheel near front of event to adjust fade in or near rear for fade out.

Replace all audio clip instances - by lukasbrooklyn

To replace all instances of an audio event in a project (akin to exchanging a sample in a sampler), put your replacement sample in the pool, the drag it from the pool whist holding shift, and drop it onto the event to be replaced.

MIDI

MIDI Octave shortcut - by Stealth

Select midi event(s) in the project/arrange page then Shift + up or down arrow key to change octave.

MIDI Velocity Editing - by trashdinner

Hold shift + Ctrl, left click and drag up or down to change velocity on selected MIDI events.

Logical Editor - by Curteye

Being a MIDI guitarist from the early 90's the LE was a must learn.
Here is my approach(es):

1-When using it stop thinking like an artist/musician etc
and start thinking more 'scientific'. (similar but not quite the same)

2-Don't go in 'cold'. Decide want you want to accomplish and use a preset
that steers in that direction. There are many in Cubase. Tweak from there.

3-Save your tweak as a preset. You might need it later and you might forget how you got there.
(happened to me a lot at first)

4-Using LE custom presets along with Key Commands can really speed the workflow.

VST Instruments

Record VST instrument tracks without using groups or bounce or export - by JMCecil

F4 -> Output tab -> hit + sign and create a Stereo Output called whatever "VSTi Out". Do not assign this output to any of your audio card outputs.
On your Instrument track, set the output to the "VSTi Output" from the previous step.
Create a Stereo Audio Track in the project, set the INPUT to "VSTi Output"
Enable monitor and/or Record enable.

Layered Samples in Groove Agent SE - by trashdinner

If you add multiple sounds to a pad (by drag and dropping) use the first (top) option when dropping the sounds to a pad to layer them.
At first they will will not trigger at the same time but the different samples will trigger depending on the velocity so while the pad is selected, change the mode to "layer" instead of "velocity" in the main tab. Now they all trigger at the same time but you can't adjust the volumes or any other parameters of the different samples separately ... but here's how to do it:
There are 2 little buttons on the upper right side of Groove Agent SE, one is ABS or Rel (It's set to ABS by default)
and the other one is Pad or Sel (It's set to Pad by default). If you press the Pad button to switch it to Sel (while the multi samples pad is selected) you can now chose the sample you want to change the volume or any other parameters and it will only change the settings of that sample within the Pad instead of all the samples within the pad. So just select the sample, tweak some buttons and when you select another sample on the same pad you'll see the the tweaks you made won't affect the other samples I find That really usefull instead of having to have 3 midi notes for my kick sound, I just have one and tweak it inside Groove Agent SE.

Vari Audio

Variaudio shortcuts - by trashdinner

[tab] to switch between segment and pitch modes.
Hold [ctrl] while moving a note to snap to pitch.
Hold [shift] while moving a note to move it freely.

Editing of M/S - Recordings - by marQs

If recording i.e. a vocalist with M/S technique (to get that little air around) which I often do, record it to a stereo track (M = left/S = right) instead of two individual tracks. Mix6To2 or Voxengo MSED get you decoded in a second.

That way you can apply i.e. VariAudio + Warp to both channels while avoiding phase issues.

Very nice for film-scoring if you play back a movie on a computer screen: Click directly in the Video Player window and drag the mouse left or right...

Toggle Full Screen Video - by BFred

Double-click anywhere in the video window to toggle full screen mode.

General

Inspector Gymnastics - by Skillet

Command click on Inspector items to open more than one. Shift click on any of them to close all of them at once. Handy when you use Inspector shortcuts since there doesn't seem to be a shortcut to close them all at once. You quickly loose view of some items using the shortcuts unless you always toggle them. Thankfully toggling any item (that may be open already) now brings it back into view though.

Resize Tool box (Arrange Window) - by Soul Burn

If you press right-click to open the tools menu and hold it pressed for about 5 seconds (it feels long), you can resize the shape of the toolbox. This lets you get to your tools with a shorter movement of the mouse.

If you just want to cut a section of a song, but want to hear the result first.
Simply engage cycle, then set your left locator to the end of the section to be cut.
Then set your right locator to the beginning of the section to be cut.
Yea, backwards.
Now playback from a point before the right locator.
The song will skip over the section enclosed in the markers.

Got something to share? Post your tips and ideas in this thread and I'll add them when I can.

On a more general note :
creating my personal set of KCs, trying to cram as much of my bread & butter stuff into the first (non-modifier) level as possible, rearranging everything in a way that's intuitive for me

closely related :
using a Logitech G700 multi-button mouse with alt, ctrl, shift and double click on the thumb buttons, and esc as well as my 3 main workspaces on top, great inertia scroll wheel too
as a guitar player I'm the "one armed bandit" during tracking, so these things count big time

cheers,
Rhino

When you tear out a man's tongue, you are not proving him a liar, you're only telling the world that you fear what he might say.
(George R.R. Martin)

@ Rhino That new track macro is gold, the amount of times I've had a singer/player around that said, 'oh-oh how about a couple of harmonies there in that bit' then kept them waiting whilst I created the track and configured inputs etc etc.. It took me 2 mins to sort out your macro and now bang! done!
It even works for multiple tracks just as long as they're selected, all FX and routing taken care of, GOLD! Exactly the type of tips that I think would make for a really helpful resource.

Chime in if you have an idea or preference this thread has had 276 reads as of now, I know the first thing I looked for when I got on here was this type of thread or sticky, there's one on the knowledge base but it's all C6 related and not really much chop.

Sounds like a good idea Paul. It could be a real helpful resource. The one thread would be a good start but it would need someone to edit out the crap and put it in some order. The problem as has been seen here, after only a few post, is that dickheads are just going to take the urine in there.

I think a training thread on how not to act like a fool would maybe a goer for starters.

... ok, cool , here's something a bit less obvious :
One of the most tragic omissions in current Cubase is the lack of true multi-track wave editing, including free warp.
On the other hand, it's not exactly unheard of to record several mics at once, e.g. on guitars, piano ...
The simple task of editing out noise can get very boring when you have to repeat it over and over, let alone timing adjustments or other more involved tasks.
Not perfect, but at least a workaround for the time being :
Use a 6.0 surround audio track !
A bit tricky to setup, and you'll want to fiddle with the 6.2 downmix plugin a bit for temporary listening (maybe on a group ?), but at least you'll deal with a single track that you can edit, warp and comp all you like.
Once you've sorted out the musical side, maybe only listening to one of those channels/tracks during edits, you can explode the surround track to single tracks for full mixdown control, including phase alignment (if 32bit is ok, I can recommend the mighty and free PreFix by VoS !) and any other mixing stunt you can think of.
To setup such a surround audio track, you'll have to define a 6.0 input bus and 6.0 output bus (this one can go nowhere) in VST connection first.
Once you've created that first track and set up your routing for temporary listening (surround group with only the main mic channel unmuted ?), you can use the abovementioned macro for one-click generation of these complicated tracks, making overdubs a breeze.
Hopefully Cubendo will get an updated multi-track wave editor soon, maybe by improving the current folder method, but until then this workaround might be worth the trouble for some.
have fun,
Rhino

Last edited by Rhino on Tue Oct 29, 2013 10:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.

When you tear out a man's tongue, you are not proving him a liar, you're only telling the world that you fear what he might say.
(George R.R. Martin)

Rhino wrote:... ok, cool , here's something a bit less obvious :
One of the most tragic omissions in current Cubase is the lack of true multi-track wave editing, including free warp. Not perfect, but at least a workaround for the time being :
Use a 6.0 surround audio track !

... and a tiny little detail in C7, completely overlooked over all the (justified !) workflow discussions, something everybody will enjoy for a change :
you can now define a default preset for each and every plugin, try it, it can be found exactly where you'd search for it and works just as expected, no ill side effects, how's that ?
ymmv,
Rhino

When you tear out a man's tongue, you are not proving him a liar, you're only telling the world that you fear what he might say.
(George R.R. Martin)

If you press right-click to open the tools menu and hold it pressed for about 5 seconds (it feels long), you can resize the shape of the toolbox. This lets you get to your tools with a shorter movement of the mouse.
Too bad we can't reorder them or make the snap point closer to the center.